She Dreams of Forevers
by Dee Jay UU
Summary: She's leaving. She has to. But she can't. In which Ino deals with her commitment issues and Kiba stops her from doing something she'd regret. Bad Summary. KibaIno. One-shot. Clicky-clicky.


"What's going on?" He asked through the thick daze we all feel when woken up at 3 am. Even through the fog, he could tell something was terribly and astronomically wrong. Her warmth was missing beside him and he could hear her delicate footsteps as she rushed around their small shared apartment. He sat up and rubbed his eyes so he could see for himself what was really going on. To his horror, he realized that the brushing noises were clothes being shoved into a suitcase on the bed beside him. The sinking feeling fell even further.

"I can't do this anymore. I'm leaving," Ino explained in a distraught and frantic voice. Her flawless features were bunched up in an unconscious display of the inner turmoil she was facing as she busied herself with shoving her things into her suitcase. She was frazzled and worn- so unlike her usual bubbly self. It was so wrong; you could almost hear the shattering in his chest. "This whole thing is just a mess. When I said yes, I never meant anything to get this far. It's all too sloppy- we're too reckless."

"Is that really all this ever meant to you? If that's true, I won't stop you," He sounded so weighed down in sadness. It brought tears to her eyes that threatened to spill over. But she knew to get through this she needed to show her strength and resolve. This was something that she had to do.

"I guess I'll be leaving then," But her voice betrayed her. It cracked as she stuffed the last of her essentials into the bag. She would come back for the rest another day. If Ino didn't leave now, she probably never would.

"You can't even wait until morning? What's so horrible that you have to leave right away?"

"There's nothing to talk about. The sooner the better, it has to happen sometime." She sounded breathy with the effort to hold it all in- hold herself together. Ino hefted the luggage off the mattress and turned to walk out. Kiba's hand on her wrist stopped her before she was able to move away.

"You said you would let me go," He didn't answer right away- just let go of her hand and trailed the back of his up her arm. She didn't move again, she couldn't. She knew, in theory, what she should do- brush him off and walk out, but she just _couldn't_. As hard as she willed herself to shrug him off, she just couldn't find the strength in herself. She was drained. All she could do was freeze and bit her lip in the last attempt to not let the tears flow. It was all in vane as the air because heavy with moisture and tinged with the scent of salt.

"I'm won't let you walk while you're lying to my face. Don't pretend that we both don't know what you're thinking. Don't pretend that we both don't know this is wrong." His hand reached her shoulder and gave a gentle tug, willing her to turn around, but she didn't comply. Seeing his face now would break her down, and that couldn't happen. Not this time.

"You're delusional. This might be the only thing that was ever right here." That was another reason this wouldn't work. They were too stubborn to compromise.

"This is about what happened between Sakura and Sasuke, isn't it? What happened with them had nothing to do with us. One break-up doesn't mean there's no hope." He moved to tilt her face towards his, but she just turned farther away. She would be fine- as long as he didn't see the tears.

"Don't you see, Kiba? Whatever it is you're asking from me for doesn't exist. I'd give you everything I can Kiba, but I can't give forever! I was just so happy with you that I forgot. They aren't the only ones who aren't going to make it. It didn't turn out okay for them, for my parents, or yours. We aren't the only people in the world- we aren't going to be an exception. We just love to hurt ourselves- that's what's going to happen if I stay. After what I saw happen to my parents when I was little, I promised that wasn't going to happen to me. You should too- I don't want to see you hurt." All reservations were gone now as the raw emotion broke into her voice. He could feel her trembling on his palm.

"What do you think you're doing now? You're so afraid of what might happen that you're hurting yourself anyway. If you believe it will be over anyway, what harm is there in giving it a chance? We don't have anything to lose." Just when she thought she couldn't feel any lower, a new darkness swept over Ino. Mixed in with everything else, it took a second to place it as jealously. He's seen the same things she had, been harmed in the same ways, but he still _believed_. Dreamed where she couldn't see more then what was in front of her. That boyish naïveté that see loved so much about him that it ached; but right then she couldn't appreciate it. It would end up costing him his heart. It already claimed both of theirs.

"You don't understand. It will only hurt more. The more time I spend with you, the more I love you. The more it will hurt in the end." She was pleading now- begging for him to see the light. She felt so helpless- it was the only way she could help him. A heavy silence settled over the tiny two story apartment as Kiba rolled the new argument around in his head. The only thing that could be heard were her quiet sobs, their deep breathing, and the clock in the next room that Ino just _had_ to have what seemed like a dreamlike eternity ago.

"You say that," Kiba spoke methodically, cutting through the silence almost tortuously slow. "But I don't think I could love you anymore." Again the jealousy came with a hopeless sadness. How could he see her as so angelically- divinely- perfect, even when she was killing him slowly inside when all she could see was a brat with a commitment problem? The sobs had free reign now as she cried loud enough to wake the whole building and everything else within 3 miles. She buried her face in her hands as her bags dropped and he pulled her carefully down and back onto the bed with him. He wrapped her tightly I his warm arms as she pressed up against his chest.

"Show me your face," She was crying too much to reject the idea, but he felt her shake her head. "Please." He took her hands and pried them from her tear stricken face. Finally, she looked up with baby blues that were even glassier that usual. Her face was splotched with red and wet streaks glistened were the light reflected off her checks. Someone might as well have dealt him a sludge hammer to the gut.

He felt just as helpless as Ino did. He wanted burst out in tears himself, but this time it was his turn to stay strong for her. He whispered in her ear all the reassurances she needed to hear, needed to know. To know that they would be fine- that forevers exist- that there was everything ahead for them and no more broken hearts. They weren't like their parents and never would be.

The phone started ringing and Ino knew it was her friend, Sakura by the ringtone. She took a moment to collect herself for her friend in need, and answered her cell.

"Hello?" Ino had actually managed to sound human.

"Hey, Ino?" Her voice was so cheery, not at all what Ino expected. I just wanted to tell you, me and Sasuke worked everything out. I hope you weren't too worried." Ino was stunned, gaping, trying to work it all out in her mind.

"Me, worried?" She finally got it together. "I'm just happy you worked it all out."

"Me too. Promise you won't listen to all the crap I said yesterday about there not being any happily-ever-afters and blah, blah, blah. You still need Kiba for my wedding pictures. He's the next best in a tux after Sasuke, but he's going to be taken." Ino broke a smile for the first time that morning.

"Promise. Who knows? We might even beat you to it."


End file.
